Contents

Location

Port Charles is a fictional small to midsized city located in Western New York, part of the fictional Eerie County, most likely on the shores of Lake Ontario between the Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Rochester areas, or possibly north of Buffalo situated on the Niagara River. In 1993, the producers of General Hospital filmed several exterior locations in and around the Western, New York area - including Letchworth State Park, and the village of Perry, New York. Aerial photos of Port Charles occasionally shown on the air are actually shots of the skyline of downtown Rochester.

Within the fictional universe of General Hospital, the city of Port Charles co-exists with the real cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester. Events in the series indicate that Port Charles' is located relatively close to all of these locations, however it is depicted as a city which would constitute a separate metro area. During several episodes aired in 1996, the characters of Laura Spencer and Stefan Cassadine traveled to a house in Rochester to find Laura's long presumed dead mother Lesley Webber. The episodes in which this occurred suggested that Port Charles was a short driving distance from Rochester, though no actual distance was given. However, when Luke and Laura Spencer returned to General Hospital, they made a dramatic entrance at Niagara Falls.

To be separate from but proximate to both Rochester and Buffalo, and located on a body of water (as the "Port" in the name would indicate), Port Charles would likely be located on Lake Ontario north of the city of Batavia and east of similar small cities of Appleton and Somerset. A probable geographical location could be Lakeside, Waterport, New York for comparison.

This probable location would give the relative distance to popular neighborhood of Bensonhurst, New York, a six hour drive. Llanview and Pine Valley being parts or suburbs of Philadelphia are approximate also six hours apart. Bensonhurt, NY and Llanview/Pine Valley are approximate an hour and forty-five minutes from each other. Corinth, Pennsylvania (the setting of the cancelled soap Loving) was visited in a 2013 storyline involving Luke Spencer trying to find a cure for his radiation poisoning.

History

When the series first began, General Hospital was set in an unnamed city or town somewhere in the United States of America. Between 1964 and 1966, Queens Point, the setting of the short-lived soap opera, The Young Marrieds, was considered to be a suburb of the same (then still unnamed) city that General Hospital was set in (this was part of a plan to feature regular crossovers between the two shows which never materialized due to the cancellation of The Young Marrieds). It wasn't until 1977 that the General Hospital's setting was finally established as being in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York.

Onscreen, Port Charles has had somewhat of an eclectic history. A 1993 storyline saw Lucky Spencer hiding out in catacombs while hiding from Frank Smith. As a result it was revealed that after the city was first settled, an extensive catacomb system was built beneath the city. The catacombs were again referenced in 1997 when Sonny Corinthos and Brenda Barrett were trapped there. The catacombes were run under the Asian Quarter of the city in a 1985 storyline where Frisco Jones, Sean Donely and Suki were hiding from evil mastermind Wu.

In 2003, an episode of General Hospital depicted the recollections of an elderly woman (played by Gloria Stewart), whose mobster husband ran a speakeasy during the prohibition era, thus establishing that the mob has long had ties to the city. Racial discrimination has unfortunately played a part in the history of Port Charles. A 1985 storyline revealed that at some point in the city's history, a large ghetto area known as the Asian Quarter was built in order to house the city's Asian population, while a 1994 storyline revealed that one of the city's first African-American council members, Bradley Ward faced opposition from his white counterparts in the 1970s and was later murdered. This storyline also made references to people being refused housing and bank loans on account of race.

Port Charles suffered a hurricane in 1977, but quickly recovered from both that and the Lassa Fever epidemic that followed less than two years later, thus beginning a long tradition of disasters that have plagued the city right up to the modern day. During this time, Mob storylines began being incorporated into the show. In 1979, residents became concerned that Port Charles was being taken over by organized crime. Mob leader Frank Smith was arrested in 1980, thanks to the efforts of Luke and Laura Spencer.

In 1981, Luke and Laura saved the city from being frozen over by Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine. Luke and Laura were hailed as heroes and their wedding was the social event of the year. Robert Scorpio was quickly appointed as police commissioner. Luke ran and won for mayor, but resigned less than two months later after growing tired of the office.

In 1985, Robert Scorpio, along with Frisco Jones, Felicia Scorpio-Jones, and Sean Donely helped bust an extortion ring that was operating within the city's Asian Quarter. Soon afterwards, Robert left town, and his ex-wife Anna Devane was appointed as the new police commissioner in his place. In a storyline twist, the seemingly honest Police chief Bert Ramsey was apparently so embittered at being passed over for promotion in favor of Anna that he became a dirty cop and began operating a money laundering scam known as Operation Tumble Dry. Thanks to the efforts of Anna and a newly returned Robert, the money laundering scam was busted.

Soon, another crime family, the Jeromes, began to infiltrate the city of Port Charles but by the early 1990s, the influence of the Jeromes had somewhat faded due to the efforts of Robert and Anna. In 1992, Anna and Robert were presumed dead in an explosion. Luke and Laura returned to town, and the Smith Mob began to regroup and once again terrorized the citizens of Port Charles. However, Frank Smith was killed and a much more benevolent crime boss in the form of Sonny Corinthos took over organized crime in the city.

Environmental issues also became a concern as some of the residents of Port Charles formed the Greenbelts organization and protested against the arrival of the S.S Tracy, a ship carrying toxic materials that later sank in the Port Charles Harbor, nearly causing an environmental catastrophe. In 1994, Justus Ward and Laura Spencer led protests against a planned incinerator that was to be located in close proximity to the cities' predominantly ethnic neighborhoods. They were successful in stopping the project despite threats to Laura's life and that of her family.

In 1996, the Cassadine family returned to Port Charles as the main nemesis of the Spencers for a second time. Soon, Port Charles was on the brink of financial disaster when the city's biggest employer, the local hospital, went bankrupt. The hospital (and indirectly the town) was saved from considerable financial ruin at the last minute by a considerable financial investment from Stefan Cassadine, son of Mikkos. Luke claimed that Stefan only wished to continue the nefarious deeds carried out by his father and had in fact been behind the hospital's bankruptcy so he could perform a swift takeover in order to establish himself as a pillar of the community, though not many people believed Luke at the time. Stefan died in disgrace years later.

In the mid-1990's and as of now, crime has been growing in Port Charles since Sonny Corinthos took over. This includes a serial killer, who had 15 victims, killing 4 out of the 15, including a Quartermaine and a Jones-Scorpio. In late 2008, the Russian mob invaded Port Charles, setting fire to free clinic, attacking Maxie Jones, kidnapping Jake Spencer, among other things. In late 2010, superstar Brenda Barrett returned to Port Charles bringing much violence to Port Charles.

In the 21st century, Port Charles would be hit by a number of disasters, including the Port Charles Hotel completely gutted by fire, a two-way train wreck, a hospital quarantine after a mutant strain of encephalitis spread through the town, Metro Court Hotel being taken hostage, and Anthony Zacchara terrorizing residents at Nikolas Cassadine's Black and White Ball, a Hospital fire closing GH for four months, and a deadly carnival.

Elements

Cassadine Industries
This wealthy, international conglomerate was founded by the Cassadines in the late 70's as a front to cover for their dirty dealings. But the business took off, being controlled by Mikkos Cassadine, Stavros Cassadine, Helena Cassadine, and Nikolas Cassadine among others. Nikolas is currently in charge of the business. It is planned that when he becomes of age, Spencer Cassadine will take over. In December 2005, a single Cassadine Industries account was estimated to be worth $15 million at the time. As of May 2009, Cassadine Industries was estimated to be worth over $20 billion dollars.

The Courthouse
The Port Charles City/County Courthouse is located in the heart of downtown, apparently very close to the PCPD. It consists of courtrooms and offices, which house officials such as Alexis Davis and Scott Baldwin, the District Attorney and Special Prosecutor. In 1998, Carly Corinthos Jacks shot Tony Jones in open court. Faith Rosco was shot and killed here by a sniper in 2005. Jason Morgan and Amelia Joffe came under fire outside of the building in 2007. In 2012, Todd Manning pulled a gun on Sonny Corinthos, only to be stopped by John McBain. It has been the sight of many life changing court battles, including in 2012 when Maxie Jones was sentenced to 20 years (though she is later released after new evidence points to Matt Hunter).

Crimson is a fashion magazine run by Connie Falconeri. Jasper Jacks helped Kate get the magazine off the ground by becoming a major investor. Kate hired Maxie Jones as her first assistant, and Lulu Spencer as her second assistant. In 2008, Maxie was almost raped here by Logan Hayes, but he saw Lulu watching from Johnny's penthouse (which is formerly the home of Jasper Jacks). Lulu then accidentally killed him, which put her in Shadybrooke Sanitarium. When Kate was shot, Maxie temporarily took over for her as the top dog at the magazine. In December 2008, Kate held a party at the skyline restaurant to commemorate the re-launch of Crimson under Kate's name. During the party, after giving Carly the same dress that Kate had on, Lulu and Maxie were almost fired. But due to Jax having controlling interest, he prevented the event from taking place. In May 2009, it was revealed that new designs from Crimson were being leaked to Couture, Kate's former magazine now being run by Giselle May.

After Damian Spinelli investigated closely, Clarice Bennett was fired from Crimson for her betrayal; but on further inspection, the culprit was revealed to be Kate herself. In 2011, Lulu left Crimson, only later to return. In 2012, Maxie left Crimson when she was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Maxie was later released from jail. Kate then left Crimson in 2012 due to a mental illness and being confined to Shadybrooke, but was later released. In June of 2012, Todd Manning bought out Lux Corp., to whom Kate had sold the magazine in 2009. Todd renamed the company Manning Enterprises and owned Crimson magazine. Kate's alternate personality, Connie Zacchara, later forced Todd to give her her job back at Crimson. In December of 2012, T.J. Ashford and Molly Lansing-Davis obtained internships at Crimson in order to investigate Connie for stealing the manuscript of Molly's book, Love in Maine. In March 2013, Todd moved out of Port Charles, and Connie took back control of Crimson.

The Docks/Waterfront
As its name suggests, Port Charles is a major port. The Waterfront district has been under the control of Sonny Corinthos for over a decade, though rival gangs have tried to move in on his territory, such as Lorenzo Alcazar, the Ruiz brothers, and others. Kelly's, a local eatery, is located in this area and the Elm Street Pier is also located here. Majority of the Port Charles waterfront is owned by the Pride-Philips Company, which was given to Courtney Matthews as a thank you from a woman whose life she saved. Courtney later sold Pride-Philips to Lorenzo Alcazar. In 2008, Alexis Davis and Sam McCall are attacked here by the Text Message Killer.

On March 17, 2008, one of the warehouses on the docks, an abandoned cannery, exploded. Sonny met with Claudia Zacchara to return Johnny to her. She arrived, and got on the phone with an ally to try and peace with them and Sonny. Meanwhile, Trevor Lansing and sniper stood on a loft in the warehouse, poised to shoot Claudia. Ric Lansing and Marianna Erosa were in another part of it, trying to cover the dead body of Randy. Carly finally finds Michael, where he confesses to shooting Kate Howard. They began to leave and go home. Meanwhile, a bomb is slowly ticking away. Right as the sniper pulls his trigger, the bomb goes of, and an explosion rips through the building. Everyone survives the event, but Carly miscarries her baby. Soon after the Docks became the site of a fake prescription drug ring headed up by Jerry Jacks. The ring produced placebos that claimed at least one life; a female heart patient. Matt Hunter was the prime suspect, but the extent of his involvement cleared. Andrei Karpov had a cargo ship, Odyssey, docked in the harbor.

When the Russian mob invaded PC in 2008 many things happened here including: Andrei Karpov stabbed Sonny, and threw him into the harbor with weights on his ankles. But just in time, Carly jumped in and saved him. Weeks later, Sonny killed Karpov here. In late December, Sasha Donev was shot and killed by a sniper here. In early January 2009, Jason blew up Sonny's latest cargo shipment. In 2011, Shawn Butler stops a bomb from going off here later Dante Falconeri is shot here.

Elm Street Pier
Elm Street is a poorer district within the city and is located near the Waterfront. It is notable for being the place where one of the city's most famous and flamboyant residents, Luke Spencer, grew up. Luke's sister, Bobbie Spencer, owns a restored brownstone here, which became the residence of several Port Charlesians. Alan Quartermaine and Mike Corbin used this district of Port Charles to meet up with prostitutes while fighting addictions. Maxie Jones was almost raped here after buying hydrocodone for Lucky Spencer. Robert Scorpio was beaten up by Lorenzo Alcazar's enforcers for not revealing the location of Skye Quartermaine, who was pregnant with his child at the time.

The B&N department store is located somewhere in this area. This is also where launch for Spoon Island is located. Many high level Port Charles citizens meet on the Elm St. Pier daily.

ELQ International, or Edward Louis Quartermaine International, is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Port Charles. Owned by the wealthy Quartermaines, it is one of the largest businesses in the region. From 1978 until his death in 2012, Edward Quartermaine was the sole owner. It is a rival company with nearby Chandler Enterprises and Buchanan Enterprises.

Extreme Motors
Extreme Motors was an abandoned garage that Johnny Zaccahara bought in 2009. As of 2015, Julian Jerome is now part owner of the garage. The address is 4278 7th Avenue.

The Floating Rib (formerly Jake's) is a popular bar owned and managed by Mac Scorpio. It was originally operated by a lady named Jake (played by Stella Stevens). In 2012, the name of the bar was changed to The Floating Rib when Luke Spencer paid Coleman to do so because it was not the right way to honor presumed dead, Jake Spencer. It was renamed after the former restaurant in Port Charles that was open in the 1980s.

General Hospital is a major employer in the city and is the primary hospital for most Port Charles residents. The address is 6065 Central Avenue.

The exterior shots of the hospital are images of an actual building, the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, located just miles from the show's Los Angeles studio.

Greystone Manor
This is the large estate of Sonny Corinthos and bodyguards Max Giambetti and Milo Giambetti. Not visible from the road, it is guarded by Sonny's men. It has a large terrace, beautiful gardens, and a stately guest house. The large garage stores a Maserati Quattroporte. In 2005, a mobster shot up the mansion's living room with a machine gun while Carly, Sam, Ric and Sonny met inside. In 2007, Kate Howard built her house right next door to Sonny's home. Angry about Kate flying her helicopter over his home, Sonny had Jason Morgan shoot a wire that was attached to her helicopter. It suspended a statue over Kate's house, and was headed to drop it in her garden. After he shot, the statue fell through all three floors of the house, destroying the roof, floors, and walls. Former residents include Carly Jacks, Emily Quartermaine, Sam McCall, Kristina Corinthos, Morgan Corinthos, and Michael Quartermaine. Sonny's private maid and cook is named Marcella. The address is 120 Shoreline Road, and Kate Howard's is 124 Shoreline Road.

Harborview Towers
This is an upper end apartment complex in downtown Port Charles. It has a view of the lake, and can clearly be seen in the Port Charles skyline. It includes Jason and Sam Morgan's penthouse and was the previous residence of Carly Jacks, Damian Spinelli and mob boss Sonny Corinthos. Damian Spinelli's room is "regrettably pink." He stayed in the room that Brenda Barrett lived in while she and Jason were in a marriage of convenience. It is across the hall from the room that was going to be the nursery for Sam McCall's baby, Lila, who was stillborn. Reese Marshall (when dating Sonny) took residence in Sonny's old penthouse. When Reese Marshall was living there, Carly Corinthos broke in and vandalized the entire apartment due to a mental breakdown. Samantha McCall was attacked there by Nico, where Carly helped fight him off. In 2007, Ric Lansing bugged Jason's apartment in order to obtain a guilty plea in the murder or Lorenzo Alcazar. In 2006, a would-be assassin shot a bullet through the window of Jason's apartment. He leaves the bullet hole in the glass to remind him of the choices he's made. In a December 2008 episode, it was indicated that the Metro Court was located directly across from the Harborview Towers. The address is 122 Harbor View Drive.

This ship was originally owned by the Cassadine family and was given to Luke and Laura Spencer by Helena Cassadine as a wedding gift in 1981. Luke and Laura ran a night club here for a short time in 1982. In 2003, Luke reacquired ownership and turned the ship into a casino. It has been owned by many different people over the years, but is currently owned by Luke and Laura's daughter Lulu Spencer-Falconeri and mob boss, Johnny Zacchara, and is now a nightclub. The address is 1227 Dock Street, Slip #1.

Waterfront diner and boarding house originally owned and operated by Rose Kelly. It is currently co-owned by Luke and Bobbie Spencer.

Lookout Point/Vista Point
The Point, as it's often referred to, is a high vantage point that sits steeply in the woods of Port Charles. It's been the spot of many outings and events in the past. This is where Maxie Jones and Damian Spinelli often go to think. In May 2002, an upset and foggy minded Carly Corinthos drove her car off of one the steep cliffs, causing it to plunge into the lake. In early 2003, Carly pushed Courtney Matthews' car off of the same cliff in order to cover up her involvement in Elizabeth Webber's hit-and-run. In August 2007, Logan Hayes took Lulu Spencer on a picnic date here. In winter 2007, Lorenzo Alcazar kidnapped Lulu, and ordered her exchange to take place at The Point. Hangman's Bridge is located in this general area. In February 2008, Diego Alcazar had planned to hang Sam McCall and Elizabeth Webber off the bridge as a final stand in his role as the Text Message Killer. Right as they arrived, Elizabeth attacked Diego, causing the car to swerve off the bridge and hang there, swaying back and forth. All three lived, but Diego was soon after killed. In December 2008, Johnny Zacchara and Lulu went there to look at the stars. This is when Johnny was almost arrested for lude behavior in November. Lookout Point is located on the same road as Shadybrook Sanitarium, and meets Harbor View Road and Old Bluff Road at a three-way intersection.

Local media
The currently-unnamed parent company of both The Port Charles Press and Crimson Llanview(formerly Manning Enterprises and Lux Corp.) bought out Kate Howard's fashion magazine Crimson in 2009. In June of 2012, Todd Manning bought the company and renamed it Manning Enterprises. Todd also bought out Pres Floyd's newspaper The Port Charles Press and renamed it The Sun. Manning Enterprises also owned a sports publication and two publishing houses. ME also owned a cable television franchise, but in August of 2012, Todd sold it to Jerry Jacks, who approached him using the alias "James Craig." Jerry then took to the airwaves to inform the city that he had poisoned the water supply. Sam Morgan obtained a job as Todd's assistant so that she could secretly investigate his involvement with Heather Webber, but Todd fired her after realizing her scheme. Manning Enterprises was the sister company of Llanview, Pennsylvania-based Lord Enterprises, which Todd co-owns with his sister Victoria Lord. In March 2013, Todd moved back to Llanview; and Kate Howard, now going by "Connie Falconeri," took back control of her magazine Crimson and the paper, now renamed The Port Charles Press. In July of 2013, it was revealed that the new head of the parent company is Derek Wells, which is an alias for mobster Julian Jerome. He soon hired Duke Lavery as his Chief of Staff.

The Metro Court Hotel is a hotel currently co-owned by Carly Corinthos-Jacks and Olivia Falconeri. It is located at 1420 Quartz Lane, Port Charles, New York. It was built by Jasper Jacks on the former site of the Port Charles Hotel, which was destroyed in a fire in 2004, and named after his then-fiancée, the now late, Courtney Matthews.

Pier 52
Pier 52 is a pier that has gone infamous for most of the recent crimes that has happened, it first started off with the Pier 52 shootout, a shootout involving Jason Morgan, Joe Scully, Jr., Bernie Abrahms, and Cesar Faison disguised as Duke Lavery. The next crime to occur at the Pier was when Caleb Morley murders Alison Barrington, Caleb returns to the Pier along with Rafe Kovich, Jr. and Officer Bud Carlson. Caleb stabs Officer Carlson to death and tries to kidnap Rafe but fails. Todd Manning and Heather Webber are hiding out at Pier 52 while waiting for a boat in order to leave Port Charles but before they can, Caleb arrives and stops Heather from leaving with Danny Morgan by choking her by the neck and throwing her into the harbor, Caleb tries to kidnap Danny but Todd stops Caleb and both Todd and Caleb struggle over the stroller. Caleb threatens Todd to leave but Todd refuses and before Caleb can do anything he hears the police sirens and runs off. After Todd is arrested, Caleb goes back to the Pier where he kidnaps both Sam Morgan and Danny. Three people were killed at Pier 52, Bernie Abrahms, Alison Barrington, and Officer Bud Carlson all died at Pier 52.

The Port Charles Press newspaperThe Port Charles Press (formerly The Port Charles Sun and The Port Charles Herald) is a local newspaper in Port Charles. In December of 2011, Pres Floyd bought The Herald and renamed it The Press. In May of 2012, Todd Manning bought it, renamed it again, reformatted it as a tabloid, and moved its offices into the Crimson offices in The Metro Court. Todd also owns a tabloid in Llanview, Pennsylvania by the same name, which he renamed from The Intruder when he bought it in 1995. That tabloid had been founded by his father Victor Lord and inherited by Victor's widow Dorian Lord, from whom Todd bought it. Immediately after starting The Sun, Heather Webber blackmailed Todd into giving her a job as the gossip columnist at the paper, which forced Todd to fire gossip columnist Diane Miller. In March 2013, Todd moved out of Port Charles, and The Sun was reformatted again as a newspaper and returned to its name The Press.

One of the best known organizations in Port Charles is the Port Charles Police Department. It has handled several crimes in the city, but not always well. It has several officers that are informants to the mob, most notably the late Logan Hayes and Cooper Barrett. Current employees include Commissioner Jordan Ashford, Det. Dante Falconeri and Det. Nathan West. The address is 1438 Central Avenue.[1]

Pozzulo's
Owned by mob boss, Sonny Corinthos and former mob boss, Jason Morgan. Pozullo's is an Italian restaurant located on the west end of Port Charles. It was first frequented by members of the mafia in the 1990s. Local mob boss, Sonny Corinthos previously took his then-wife Carly Corinthos Jacks there in the early 2000s. After the former owner died in 2009, Sonny Corinthos purchased the building and opened an office there.

Quartermaine Mansion
The home of the wealthy Quartermaine family, it also features living quarters for several members of the extended family, including the maid Alice Gunderson and Virginia Cooke, better known as "Cook," the chef. In 1978, Alan Quartermaine bought the mansion for his wife, Monica, she often reminds the family its "her" house when they begin quarreling, which is an often occurrence in the Quartermaine quarters. She has been known to throw them out of "her" house as well. In 1980, Monica and Rick Webber were nearly crushed to death when the attic roof collapsed on them. They were later saved by Alan who set the trap himself. There is also a gatehouse on the property which was home to Ned Ashton and Lois Cerullo for many years. The garage featured luxury vehicles such as a custom vintage Bentley. A rose garden was present in the courtyard which was tended to by Lila Quartermaine until her death. In 2004, a serial killer roamed the mansion and stabbed Sage Alcazar to death in the freezer. In 2005, AJ Quartermaine fell from the staircase and became paralyzed shortly before his presumed "death". Some scenes have taken place in the Quartermaine boathouse, where Lulu Spencer lost her virginity to Dillon Quartermaine. The address is 66 Harbor View Road.

Former elements

ADZ Warehouses A chain of warehouses owned by the mafia members in the "Tumble Dry" money laundering scam.

Asian Quarter The Asian Quarter is a ghetto district located within Port Charles and is home to a large Asian population. The residents of this part of the city once lived in fear of an extortion ring that dominated the area, but thanks to the efforts of then police commissioner Robert Scorpio, the extortion ring was busted.

Bamboo Bar A small bar owned by Wu in the Asian Quarter. Has a secret soundproof room where Robin Scorpio and The Ancient One were being held by Wu's people during the Asian Quarter - Black Pearls storyline.

Barney's Place A downtown bar where in 1976, Jeff Webber attempted to commit suicide after finding out his wife, Monica Bard, had been having an affair with his brother, Rick.

The Cellar/Flynn's Club Located at 324 Wharf Street (beneath Kelly's), Port Charles, NY– Carly Corinthos, proprietor. Opened February 14, 2003. Rekindled night club created from the remnants of “The Flynn’s Club”, a speakeasy that originally opened New Years Eve 1926. Flynn’s was owned by Catherine Flynn, wife of mobster Marco Flynn and the grandmother of Faith Rosco. It was only open for a few hours because at 12:01 A.M. on opening night, a close friend and associate was killed in the club in a mob hit. Marco retaliated that night, but was arrested. He spent the rest of his life in prison. Catherine never had the heart to reopen, and had it boarded up. On New Year's Eve 2002, Carly and Ric Lansing discovered the speakeasy bricked off in the basement of Kelly’s Diner when they were scouting for a location for her club. The original owner, Catherine Flynn, who had been living in an apartment across the street, told Carly and Ric the club’s history when she observed them breaking through the brick wall. Employees have included Courtney Matthews as hostess. In November 2003, Faith Rosco claimed ownership of the club stating that though Kelly’s Diner and The Cellar occupied the same building, they always had split deeds and while Luke and Bobbie Spencer owned Kelly’s, The Cellar was rightfully Faith’s property by way of inheritance from Catherine. In May 2004, Carly regained control of the club when Justus Ward discovered that Faith’s claim on the property was invalid. Just prior to her hospitalization in Shadybrook in 2005, she closed the club until she was well again. After recovering, she opted to keep The Cellar closed permanently, stating that it took too much time and money to run. In April 2007, Sonny and Jason begin to consider using The Cellar as a place to hide their shipments, as The Cellar was vacant at the time. Sonny and Jason were soon ambushed by Lorenzo Alcazar's hired thugs and Maxie Jones was held hostage and saved by Cooper Barrett.

Club 101 Elegant night club opened in 2002 by Carly Corinthos with Jasper “Jax” Jacks. The club was converted from an old abandoned warehouse on the “bad side of town” under Carly’s supervision. Jax forced Carly out of the partnership because he believed she was embezzling funds, though she believed it was because of her relationship with Sonny Corinthos. He then brought Skye Chandler Quartermaine in as a partner. Employees have included Courtney Matthews.

The Croydon Hotel Low cost hotel that was run in Port Charles during the 80's. Residents include Laura Templeton, and her sister Jakie. It was demolished in the early 90's.

Deception Deception Cosmetics: Former CEO-Laura Spencer; Partner-Carly Corinthos; Former models-Brenda Barrett and Gia Campbell. In 2013, Laura was convinced by Lucy Coe to revive Deception, but Laura only agreed to be her partner if they change the company to be health related, turning the company to a health spa and gym. Lucy also hired Milo to work as a trainer at Deception, which led him to quit his job working for Sonny Corinthos as one of his bodyguards alongside his brother Max Giambetti

Delafield's Club owned and operated by classical pianist Katherine Delafield. Katherine regularly performed as well as did Frisco Jones. This same club, previously known as Duke's Club, had belonged to Duke Lavery and was purchased after his presumed death in 1990.

Duke's Club Run by Duke Lavery and Felicia Jones, this club was a popular hangout for Port Charles residents in the late 1980s. Frisco Jones and Terri O'Connor regularly performed. After Duke's death, the club was purchased in 1990 by classical pianist Katherine Delafield and reopened under the name Delafield's.

Emily Bowen Quartermaine Clinic After Emily Quartermaine's death, fiancee Nikolas Cassadine carried on Emily's passion for helping the needy by opening a free clinic in her name. He had it established in it in the warehouse district in a formerly condemned building. Early on, it encountered issues when Mayor Floyd tried to have it shut down. Then came Matt Hunter, with him he brought a counterfeit drug scandal. He bought fake meds from Logan Hayes' employer, switched them with the real ones, and re-sold the true drugs. Nadine Crowell tries to get him to confess and in September 2008, Jerry Jacks set fire to the place in order to cover the illegal drugs and silence a nosy Nadine. Matt, Nikolas, and Nadine were all trapped, but escaped safely. Nadine and Matt were hospitalized, but Nikolas received only minor injuries. It was located on Venice Street, in the warehouse district.

The Equinox Corporation Equinox, officially named the Equinox Defense Arms Corporation was a military equipment manufacturer that was first introduced in January 2007. Equinox manufactured the armored suitcase that lead to the Metro Court Hostage crisis in February 2007. In November 2008, Nadine Crowell and Nikolas Cassadine took them on in order to get back her Aunt Raylene's plow patent. In January 2009, an Equinox airborne biotoxin was released into General Hospital, forever garnering the label of failure.

Fisherman Village Waterfront development constructed by mobsters in the “Tumble Dry” money laundering scam. Dan Rooney, Commissioner of Waterfront Development, tried to oppose the construction due to the shoddy construction plans, but was silenced in an “accident” arranged by Mr. Big (Co-Police Chief Burt Ramsey).

The Floating Rib This restaurant, located across the street from General Hospital, was another popular establishment in the early 1980s. Closed during the late 1980’s. On February 23, 2006, Holly Sutton (not knowing that the restaurant was long out of business) demanded that Luke Spencer and Robert Scorpio meet her outside the restaurant with two million dollars for each vial of antidote for the mutant encephalitis virus that had gripped the city that month. A popular massage parlor is now located on this site.

HTI A research firm that the WSB had contracted with to find a secret antidote to the DVX's lethal germ MOX 36. The research was conducted by Dr. Eric Ingstrom before being abducted by the DVX. Stockholders in this firm included Greta Ingstrom and various Quartermaines.

Luke's Club This blues club, run by Luke Spencer and Lucy Coe was a popular place to hangout and socialize during the late 1990s. Lily Corinthos was blown up in a car bomb outside the premises in 1996.

Luke's Place Port Charles' first casino opened by Luke Spencer and D. L. Brock in 1983. This is notable because according to the city charter, only one casino was allowed to operate. After closing the casino when he was elected mayor later that year, he retained the casino rights. Port Charles did not have another casino until he converted his recently reacquired Haunted Star into a casino on December 26, 2003.

The Oasis Strip club owned by Coleman where Courtney Matthews secretly worked under the name “Daisy” to pay for damages caused by her then husband, A.J. Quartermaine. On August 28, 2002, A.J. destroyed the club in an arson fire after he found out about Courtney’s job.

The Paradise Lounge Strip club once owned by Sonny Corinthos. Karen Wexler and Tammy Hansen once worked there as strippers. The club was closed by the PCPD in 1993 for working underage strippers. The phone number was 555-1081[2].

The Port Charles Hotel Elegant hotel that stood at 1420 Quartz Lane. It was purchased by the Quartermaines in 1993, but was burnt to the ground on February 11, 2004. The Metro Court Hotel was built on the cleared site.

The Recovery Room Bar & Grill located across the street from General Hospital. Managed by the Scanlon family and Mary Scanlon's husband Victor Collins. Previously managed by Mike Corbin. Popular establishment in the late 1990s.

Sonny's Coffee Shop This coffee shop was opened in December 2006 by Sonny Corinthos to serve as a front for his illegal activity. Sonny frequently worked out of an office in the building. Carly Corinthos took over decorating and added a coffee cart. This is where Max Giambetti was demoted to working when he helped Carly. This is where Lorenzo Alcazar had a hit woman hide a gun. Alcazar retrieved the gun, went into Sonny's back office, and held him at gunpoint. Carly walked in and was able to distract Alcazar from shooting Sonny. Sonny took this chance and shot Alcazar in the head. In November 2008, Sasha Donev sent a gang of goons to trash the coffeehouse and torch it. Little did they know, as the coffeehouse burned, Olivia Falconeri was trapped in the back in Sonny's office. Sonny managed to save her, but the building was burnt to the ground.

Tea House Nice Chinese restaurant run by Jade Soong. Where friends could meet up, but mostly used by those from the Asian Quarter.

The Ward House Orphanage started by Mary Mae Ward, named for her son Bradley, a community leader who had died 20 years earlier. Pediatrician Simone Hardy was a volunteer at the home and introduced Mary Mae to Laura Spencer. In 1996, Laura Spencer purchased and operated the orphanage after Mary Mae’s death. Destroyed in an arson fire started by mobster Damian Smith who wanted the land to build a toxic waste incinerator.

World Security Bureau World Security Bureau (WSB) is an Espionage agency and The nemesis of the WSB was the international organization known as the DVX. One of the WSB's most daring and effective agents was Robert Scorpio who traveled incognito as an international financier and well-know bon vivant. During the 1981 season Scorpio tracked down the Ice Princess, a statue/diamond with a secret formula on its base that as Scorpio warned "could cause cataclysmic global problems" if not recovered. On the trail of this huge uncut diamond, WSB agent O'Reilly, an elderly woman, was killed in a shoot out on the docks. Scorpio was helped by Luke and Laura as all three stowed away aboard a yacht to a tropical island that was the base of mad scientist Mikkos Cassadine who wanted exploit the power of the Ice Princess formula to be "Supreme Commander of the World." Mikkos fell to his death in freezing chamber of a machine designed to freeze the world. With the help of Luke, the machine's code (I-C-E-P-R-I-N-C-E-S-S) was cracked, disaster was averted and democracy was restored to the planet. Scorpio became a recurring character on General Hospital.

Port Charles society

From 1994 - 2001, the Nurses' Ball was the social event of the year in the Port Charles calendar, and is most notable for being a charity event dedicated to raising funds for various HIV/AIDS organizations, both on the show and in reality. The Nurses' Ball was held in the Port Charles Hotel (which burned down in 2004). Notably from 1997 until the last ball in 2001, the Nurses' ball was usually a major crossover where characters from both Port Charles and General Hospital got a chance to interact with one another. A train/bus collision interrupted the 2001 event. The event has since been discontinued. The onscreen reasons for this have not been explained, but it is known that rising expenses and budget cuts in the real world, along with the revamp that was made to Port Charles in 2001 were the reasons why the producers of both General Hospital and Port Charles decided to end the annual event. In 2012, it is explained on screen that The Nurses' Ball was discontinued due to the lack of funding. In 2013, the Nurses' Ball was resurrected again in memory of Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake, who was believed to have died the previous year. The Ball took place in the first week of April during the 50th anniversary celebration of General Hospital and has since continued once a year.

General Hospital Pediatric Ward Christmas party
For many years, the Pediatric Ward Christmas party has been the focus of General Hospital episodes that have aired just before Christmas (usually on the December 24 episode of General Hospital, but sometimes on December 23 or December 22 if December 24 falls during a weekend). It is traditional for the current chief of staff to read the Christmas story to the children during the party. Steve Hardy did this for many years until his death in 1996 when Alan Quartermaine took over. The chief is also accompanied by the General Hospital volunteers dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, as well as elves. The children of various cast members from the show are often featured as extras in the party scenes playing the sick children from the ward. After Alan's death in 2007 the Pediatric Ward party was not shown on screen until 2014, when Liesl Obrecht took over as Chief of Staff.

The Spencer family is originally from Port Charles, the two main members Luke and Bobbie Spencer both being born there, but the siblings moved to Florida when they were young after the death of their mother Lena. Luke and Bobbie both moved back to Port Charles in the late 1970s. The Spencers are perhaps best known for supercoupleLuke and Laura and their long standing rivalry with the Cassadines. Luke and Laura have two children, Lucky and Lulu, Luke also has a son, Ethan Lovett, and Laura's son Nikolas Cassadine is often considered part of the family. Bobbie also has two children Carly Corinthos Jacks, her biological daughter and Lucas Jones whom she adopted. Carly is a prominent person in town, as she owns the Metro Court Hotel. Lucky's ex-wife Elizabeth Webber and their children Cam, Jake and Aiden currently live in Port Charles. Other current Port Charles residents include; Bobbie, Lucas, Carly and her children Michael, Morgan and Josslyn, and Lulu, her husband Dante Falconeri and their son Rocco.

The Cassadine brothers, Mikkos, Tony and Victor first made their presence in Port Charles felt in 1981, when they caused the infamous blizzard through the use of carbonic snow. Tony was killed with Alexandria Quartermaine after taking a curious stroll into the Ice Princess freezer chamber and later Luke Spencer killed Mikkos and Victor by throwing them into the chamber as well. Helena Cassadine the widow of Mikkos and patriarch of the family in turn cursed Luke and Laura at their wedding thus beginning the long rivalry between the Spencers and the Cassadines. She also ordered her son; Stavros Cassadine, to kidnap Laura Spencer, together they had Nikolas, before she escaped leaving Nikolas to be raised by his Uncle Stefan, Mikkos and Helena's youngest son.

Stefan eventually took control of the family and in 1996, he and Nikolas moved to Port Charles permanently, joined by distant Cassadine cousin Alexis Davis who was later revealed to be Mikkos' illegitimate daughter (Natasha Cassadine) with Swedish opera singer Kristin Bergman. In 2001, the family received another addition when Alexis' long lost sister, Kristina Cassadine (originally Kristina Carter), was brought to town to reunite with her sister by Jasper Jacks. Stefan was later murdered by Luke in 2003, at which time Nikolas declares the war between the Spencers and the Cassadines over. Helena wrecked havoc against the citizens of Port Charles for many years before finally being killed when Nikolas poisoned her in 2015. Alexis has given birth to three daughters, Samantha McCall, Kristina Davis, and Molly Lansing. Nikolas has a son, Spencer Cassadine, with the late Courtney Matthews. Sam has two children; Danny and Emily Morgan with Jason Morgan. Sam also had a third child; Lila McCall with Sonny Corinthos. However Lila was stillborn on November 8, 2004. In 2016, Mikkos’s illegitimate son Valentin manages to take Nikolas’s family and friends’ hostage and forced Nikolas to sign over his entire fortune. When a struggle ensued, Nikolas falls over a balcony and is presumably killed. Valentin later takes residence in Port Charles with his daughter Charlotte Cassadine.

Australian ex-pat Robert Scorpio was Police Commissioner of Port Charles for many years (1982-1985, 1987-1992), and solved numerous mysteries and crimes. Robert has married Anna Devane twice and they later had a daughter Robin Scorpio. Robert was presumed dead in 1992, but later returned to town in 2006 to track down Luke Spencer who had brought the encephalitis outbreak to Port Charles. Robert currently travels the world working as a spy for the WSB, though he is known to occasionally visit Robin and ex wife Anna. Mac Scorpio is Robert's brother, and was Police Commissioner of Port Charles for many years as well (1996-2012). Mac has two step-daughters Maxie Jones and Georgie Jones. In 2007, Georgie was only a teenager when she was strangled to death by a serial killer. In 2008, Robin married Patrick Drake and gave birth to their daughter, Emma Scorpio-Drake.

Sonny Corinthos arrived in Port Charles in 1993, and owned and operated a strip club before becoming Port Charles' most powerful mobster in the power struggles that followed Frank Smith's death. He has become known for his relative benevolence compared to other mafia gangs, and his donation of several million dollars was instrumental in setting up the Stone Cates Memorial AIDS Wing at General Hospital. Sonny also has five children, while living in his home town, Olivia Falconeri gave birth to his first born son Dante, who is now a cop at the PCPD. In 2002, Sonny adopted Carly Benson's son Michael and Carly later gave birth to their son Morgan. After Sonny has a one night stand with Alexis Davis she becomes pregnant and gives birth to his daughter Kristina. Another one night stand with Ava Jerome, leads to the birth of Sonny's youngest daughter Avery.

In 1996, Sonny befriended Jason Morgan and taught him the business. Jason then became Sonny's mob enforcer and his right-hand man. In April of 2008, Sonny signed over the entire Corinthos-Morgan Crime family to Jason after his son Michael was shot. Sonny was attempting to escape the dangerous life for the rest his children, and then-fiance, Kate Howard. However, this proved to be short lived as Jason gave the business back to Sonny in March of 2009. In October 2016, Morgan was killed.

Deaths

Please note that the deaths listed here did not necessarily take place in the city of Port Charles; rather, this list is of deaths that have either occurred on the show General Hospital, or were of characters from the show.

* denotes a child under the age of 18.

Lena Spencer - Accidentally hit in the head with a baseball bat by Luke Spencer, when he was trying to protecting her from Tim Spencer, later died of swelling on the brain at General Hospital. (1 April 1963; shown 1 April 2015)

Crime

Please note that the rapes listed here did not necessarily take place in the city of Port Charles; rather, this list is of rapes that have either occurred on the show General Hospital, or involved characters from the show.

Crises

In September 1977, a hurricane strikes the city, claiming the lives of Martha Taylor and David Hamilton's wife and child.

In August 1981 the town experienced a blizzard in the midst of summer. The cause of this blizzard was determined to be Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine.

In 1988, a bomb explodes in the main exhibition tent of the Port Charles Art Festival.

In 1990, a blackout hit the city when Cesar Faison joined together the alien crystals from the planet Lumina.

In February 1991, the Quartermaine S.S. Tracy sank in the middle of Port Charles Harbor, unleashing toxic chemicals and causing an environmental disaster.

In 1991, the town experienced an earthquake, which destroyed many homes and caused a lot of damage.

In May 1994, a school bus for a Port Charles elementary school crashes, leaving B.J. Jones dead.

In June 2001, a bus collided head on with a train near the city, interrupting the Nurses Ball, the social event of the year in Port Charles.

In February 2004, the Port Charles Hotel burned down. Zander Smith was believed to be dead. The hotel was completely destroyed, but later rebuilt by Australian billionaire, Jasper Jacks, who renamed it the Metro Court after his now deceased wife, Courtney Matthews.

In August 2004, many were trapped at the Quartermaine Mansion while a serial killer was on the loose, killing Sage Alcazar and Trent Parker. This person was Mary Bishop, who also tried to stab Emily Quartermaine.

In July 2005, another hurricane strikes the city of Port Charles, but fatalities and damage was light compared to the 1977 hurricane.

In October 2011, Lisa Niles wakes up from her coma to terrorize Port Charles. First she puts a nurse in a coma at GH, drugs Johnny Zacchara, and stabs Anthony Zacchara. Then she goes on a boat where Matt Hunter is throwing a party. There she kills the caption of the boat, drugs the First Mate, drugs Elizabeth Webber and throws her into the water, drugs Patrick and Robin and intends to infect Patrick with HIV to be stopped by Robin, and lastly she fights Robin on the deck. During this Olivia Falconeri passes out. Lisa is found dead two weeks later having been killed by Matt.

In June 2012, Tea Delgado and Sam Morgan both gave birth to their sons during a torrential rainstorm. Tea's son wasn't breathing, and her ex-husband, Todd Manning, went looking for help. He brings the baby to Heather Webber, who tries to save him, but the baby dies. Meanwhile, Sam comes to the same area, looking for help, and ends up passing out after putting her son down. Todd & Heather then switched the babies, giving Sam's breathing son to Tea, and leaving Tea's stillborn son in his place. Tea names "her son" Victor Lord III, while Sam buries "her son" as Jason Morgan Jr. Four months later, Jason Morgan figured out the switch, and told John McBain. However, Heather had kidnapped baby Victor from Tea, wanting to raise a son by herself. Baby Victor was rescued from Heather, and returned to Jason & Sam, who renamed him Danny Morgan.

From late August to early September 2012, Jerry Jacks puts a deadly pathogen in the water supply and everyone in town becomes deathly ill, except Alexis Davis and Josslyn Jacks, whom he inoculated against the pathogen. Jerry blackmails Ewen Keenan and Joe Scully, Jr. into helping him, and tricks Todd Manning into selling him his cable TV franchise so he can announce his intentions to the city. Ewen snaps because of what Jerry has made him a part of and kidnaps Elizabeth Webber. Jason Morgan saves Elizabeth, but he and Ewen shoot each other, killing Ewen. Jerry kidnaps Alexis, and in a confrontation between Jerry, Jasper Jacks, Johnny Zacchara and Carly Jacks, Johnny is shot. The Quartermaine cook, Virginia Cooke, dies from the pathogen in the water.

On October 22, 2012, Bernie Abrahms is waiting at Pier 52 for Jason Morgan. Joe Scully, Jr. however arrives and shoots Bernie, but before Joe can finish Bernie off, Jason arrives and confronts Joe. Joe tries to shoot Jason, but Jason fatally shoots Joe first. Jason goes to Bernie where Bernie tries to tell Jason "about the money", but before he could say anything else, Cesar Faison (disguised as Duke Lavery) shoots Jason in the back and then kicks Jason's unconscious body into the harbor. Jason was presumed dead. After that, Faison threatens to kill Joe and notices that Bernie is alive and goes over and shoots him. Joe starts to run off. Faison sees Joe running off and tries to shoot him, but misses, Faison tries to go after Joe, but stops when he hears the police sirens and instead goes to a different direction. Joe goes to the Quartermaine Mansion where he later on dies from his gunshot wound. Back at Pier 52, the Police as well as the paramedics and Sonny Corinthos arrives, Sonny goes over to see a dying Bernie and asks him who shot him and what happend to Jason. Bernie tells Sonny that Joe shot him and that Jason was shot and dumped into the harbor. Sonny leaps into the water to tries to find Jason, but fails. Sonny goes back to Bernie where Bernie tries to tell Sonny about someting but before Bernie could say anthing else he dies. Jason was revealed to be alive in 2014.

In February 2013, a Serial Killer named Caleb Morley who looks like John McBain goes to Port Charles where he wrecks havoc by first murdering Alison Barrington, he then poses as John and gets Rafe Kovich, Jr. out of jail with the help of Officer Bud Carlson, all three arrive at Pier 52 where Caleb then stabs Officer Carlson to death and tries to kidnap Rafe but Rafe escapes and runs off. Caleb then goes to the PCU and kills Professor Jay Mosser by stabbing him in the neck with a pair of scissors. Caleb frames John Mcbain for his crimes and John is later arrested. At Pier 52 Caleb sees Heather Webber with Danny Morgan and stops her from leaving, he chokes Heather by the neck and then throws her into the harbor. Caleb tries to kidnap Danny but then Todd Manning arrives and stops Caleb, both Todd and Caleb struggle over over the stroller and Caleb threatens Todd to leave but Todd refuses, after hearing the police sirens Caleb quickly escapes. After Todd is arrested by Anna Devane. Caleb goes back to Pier 52 where he sees Sam Morgan who looks like his deceased wife Livvie Locke. Caleb tries to pose as John by tricking Sam but fails. Sam tries to escape from Caleb but Caleb blocks Sam's way and kidnaps both her and Danny. At Wyndemere Castle, Caleb has taken both Sam and Danny as hostages and has also drugged Sam and also bitten her neck. Caleb threatens to kill Sam but before he can, John Mcbain arrives and both him and Caleb get into a struggle. Caleb over powers John and ties him up. Caleb then goes over and tries to kill John but before he can, Lucy Coe arrives, Caleb threatens to kill Lucy but before Caleb can, John escapes and goes after Caleb where they struggle, Caleb almost over powers John but gets distracted when Sam calls out his name, giving John enough time to overpower Caleb by stabbing him to death.